Detective Ujjwalan
| Detective Ujjwalan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Release Poster | |
| Directed by | Indraneel Gopalakrishnan Rahul G |
| Written by | Indraneel Gopalakrishnan Rahul G |
| Produced by | Sophia Paul |
| Starring | Dhyan Sreenivasan Siju Wilson Rony David Raj |
| Cinematography | Premkrishna Akkattu Sraiyanti Harichandran |
| Edited by | Chaman Chakko |
| Music by | Songs: Rzee Sibi Mathew Alex Score: Sibi Mathew Alex |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Phars Film AP International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Box office | ₹5.56 crore[2] |
Detective Ujjwalan is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language mystery comedy film written and directed by Indraneel Gopeekrishnan and Rahul G. The film stars Dhyan Sreenivasan, Siju Wilson and Rony David Raj in lead roles. It is produced by Sophia Paul under the Weekend Blockbusters banner and it the second installment on Weekend Cinematic Universe[3] after Minnal Murali.
The film was officially announced on 3 September 2024 with its title teaser.[4] Principal photography commenced on 17 November 2024 and was shot across various locations in Palakkad district, including Kollengode, Nenmara, Shoranur and Pattambi, and wrapped in December 2024. The film's songs and original score were composed by Rzee. Detective Ujjwalan was released in theatres on 23 May 2025.
Plot
[edit] | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (July 2025) |
Ujjwalan is a local youth living in Plaachikkaavu[a], who runs a library and lives off his familial wealth. He is relied on by the locals to solve small theft and object-missing cases. Ujjwalan, though an avid reader of investigation novels and watcher of crime thriller movies, is scared of darkness due to a childhood traumatic experience of losing his cousin brother Dasan in the forest while on a mission to find 'Kokkaachi'[b].
The peaceful village of Plaachikkavu is shaken one day to wake up hearing the news of a school principal Ashokan's death by murder. A Small-time thief Anthikkurudan is arrested by SI Sachin based on Ujjwalan's deduction. But when a similar murder happens again some days later, Ujjwalan is convinced that the murderer is someone else. A Special Investigation Team led by CI Shambhu Mahadev arrives in Plaachikkavu to investigate the murders. Ujjwalan sees Shambhu with jealousy which slowly grows into suspicion that Shambhu is the killer. One more murder happens in the village and Ujjwalan announces his doubts about Shambhu in the public. An annoyed Shambhu presents things in another perspective that puts Ujjwalan's father Narayanankutty under the shadow of suspicion in the eyes of villagers. Meanwhile, Anthikkurudan escapes from jail. Ujjwalan later learns from Anthikkurudan that he is innocent but he has witnessed one of the murders.
At Narayanankutty's request and out of a quest to save his village, Ujjwalan sets out to find the killer with the help of his friends' team which includes Korean Kurian, Anthikkurudan, Sachin and Narayanankutty himself. At Ujjwalan's direction, Sachin suggests to Shambhu and has policemen do continuous night patrolling in all routes leading to the village. There is peace in the village for some days. But next murder takes place soon and the victim is a young civil police officer Ajayan on night patrol duty. The village is shaken by terror. Shambhu is given one week by his superior to solve the case or else pack his bags and leave. Ujjwalan, feeling responsible for the policeman's death since he was the one who suggested night patrolling, approaches Shambhu and apologises for mistaking him as the killer. He also suggests a plan to capture the killer by staging a fake murder and provoking his ego. The venture succeeds and the killer is captured. He is identified as Jomon, the reporter at Plaachikkavu Vision local channel. He narrates his traumatic childhood that led to him being a psychopath. But to everyone but Ujjwalan's surprise, while Jomon is in custody, a writing appears on a village wall saying unless Jomon is released by 10 PM, the village will see more murders. Ujjwalan tells Shambhu that Jomon is not alone but there are two killers. He deduced it by observing that the culprit with them is a lefthander while Jomon was righthander. Ujjwalan, Shambhu and team chooses an isolated house and hangs it as a bait for the second killer. Shambhu fights and subdues him when he comes to that house. The second killer is revealed to be Jomon, while the man in police custody was Jomon's twin brother. Both of them faced the same traumatic childhood and them, inspired by a teacher who helped them kill their abusive father, became psychopaths. As both killers are caught, Plaachikkavu returns to peace, but the atmosphere of the village changed forever as people have become more wary and suspicious of everything. Ujjwalan renames his library as Detective Consultancy and the film ends by a local kid rushing to Ujjwalan with news of what could be a new crime in the village.
Cast
[edit]- Dhyan Sreenivasan as Ujjwalan
- Siddhanshu as young Ujjwalan
- Siju Wilson as CI Shambhu Mahadev
- Rony David Raj as SI Sachin
- Kottayam Nazeer as Narayanankutty
- Seema G. Nair as Leela
- Claire C. John as Snehalatha
- Ameen as Korea Kurian
- Nihal Nizam as Anthikkurudan
- Nibraz Noushad as Kunchacko
- Shahubas as Boban
- Mathew Puthukadan in a dual role as:
- Jomon
- Jacob Jomon’s twin brother
- Ashwath and Adhav as young Jomon
- Jagadish as Teacher
- Kalabhavan Navas as Ashokan
- Nirmal Palazhi as Chandy
Production
[edit]Casting
[edit]Dhyan Sreenivasan was cast in the lead role. The film also stars Siju Wilson, Kottayam Nazeer, Seema G. Nair, Rony David Raj in the supporting roles.
Filming
[edit]Principal photography for Detective Ujjwalan commenced on 17 November 2024, in Kerala.[5] The production began with a traditional pooja ceremony, marking the official start of filming.[6]
The shooting took place across various locations in Palakkad district, including Kollengode, Nenmara, Shoranur, and Pattambi . These settings provided the backdrop for the film's fictional village of Plaachikkaavu, where the story unfolds.[citation needed] Filming concluded in December 2024.[7]
Soundtrack
[edit]| Detective Ujjwalan | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Rzee and Sibi Mathew Alex | |
| Released | 2025 |
| Genre | Filmi |
| Length | 13m 44s |
| Label | Saregama |
The original background score and songs were composed by Rzee. The team announced that the music rights were bagged by Saregama. The song "Batman Avatharam" is composed by Sibi Mathew Alex.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Neptune" | Fejo | 2:47 |
| 2. | "Skilladi" | Anthony Daasan, Rzee | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Aaravano" | Anand Sreeraj, Manu Manjit | 3:04 |
| 4. | "Thoppi Vecha Vallabha" | Vinayak Sasikumar | 2:52 |
| 5. | "Batman Avatharam" | Ann Lilly Jose | 1:54 |
| Total length: | 13:44 | ||
Controversy
[edit]In September 2024, the Ernakulam District Court addressed a case that Detective Ujjwalan is citing copyrights. This action was based on a complaint filed by Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew, writers of Minnal Murali. Although the film is based on Minnal Murali Universe (Weekend Cinematic Universe - WCU), the complaint was based on the teaser, which was released on 3 September 2024 which had references to characters and places from Minnal Murali.[8] The film was later cleared.[citation needed]
Release
[edit]Detective Ujjwalan was released theatrically on 23 May 2025. Earlier it was scheduled to release on 16 May 2025 but was postponed by a week.
The home media streaming rights were acquired by Netflix with streaming beginning from 11 July 2025.[9]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Detective Ujjwalan received mixed reviews from critics.
Anna Mathews of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5, noting that while Dhyan Sreenivasan's comic charm was evident, the thriller elements were insufficient to sustain the narrative.[10] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express criticized the film for its lack of originality and predictability, stating that the writing faltered despite some effective atmospheric elements.[11] Conversely, Gayathri Krishna of OTTplay offered a more positive perspective, awarding the film 4 out of 5 stars and describing it as an entertaining investigative thriller with a humorous spin.[12]
Box office
[edit]On its first day, Detective Ujjwalan earned approximately ₹69 lakhs net in India.[13] On the third day, early estimates indicated earnings of ₹1 crore, bringing the opening weekend total to approximately ₹2.47 crore.[14]
Footnotes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Dhyan Sreenivasan Starrer Detective Ujjwalan Release Date Pushed". Filmfare. 6 May 2025.
- ^ "'Detective Ujjwalan' box office collections day 10: Dhyan Sreenivasan's murder mystery crosses Rs 5.56cr worldwide". The Times of India. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "After Minnal Murali and Detective Ujjwalan, zombie movie Jambi joins the Weekend Cinematic Universe". Mathrubhumi. 26 December 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Detective Ujjwalan - Title Teaser. Weekend Blockbusters. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Dhyan Sreenivasan's Detective Ujjwalan begins filming in Kerala". News Minimalist.
- ^ "Dhyan Sreenivasan's 'Detective Ujjwalan' goes on floors". The New Indian Express. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Santhosh, Vivek (23 December 2024). "It's a wrap for Dhyan Sreenivasan's Detective Ujjwalan". Cinema Express. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Court restricts Minnal Murali Universe: Major setback for Dhyan's 'Detective Ujjwalan'". english.mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Detective Ujjwalan OTT release: When and where to watch the Dhyan Sreenivasan starrer online". 11 July 2025 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
- ^ "Detective Ujjwalan Movie Review: A thriller that cannot sustain on Dhyan's charm". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Detective Ujjwalan movie review: A Scooby-Doo-esque tale weighed down by mediocre writing". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Detective Ujjwalan review: This Dhyan Sreenivasan film is the perfect addition to the intricately crafted cinematic universe". OTTplay. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Detective Ujjwalan Box Office Collections Day 1: Dhyan Sreenivasan's crime-comedy opens with Rs 69 lakhs in India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Detective Ujjwalan Box Office Collection Day 3 Worldwide Total". Box Office Index. Retrieved 25 May 2025.